The VLOOKUP function in Excel
Posted 2024-10-16 00:58:30
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The VLOOKUP function in Excel is used to search for a value in the first column of a table and return a value in the same row from a specified column.
Syntax of VLOOKUP
VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])
Parameters
- lookup_value: The value you want to search for.
- table_array: The range of cells that contains the data (including the column with the lookup value).
- col_index_num: The column number (starting from 1) in the table from which to retrieve the value.
- range_lookup: (Optional) TRUE for an approximate match, or FALSE for an exact match.
Example of VLOOKUP
Imagine you have the following data in cells A1 to C4:
A | B | C |
---|---|---|
ID | Name | Department |
101 | Alice | Sales |
102 | Bob | Marketing |
103 | Charlie | IT |
Use Case
You want to find the name of the employee with ID 102.
Formula
In another cell, you would use:
=VLOOKUP(102, A2:C4, 2, FALSE)
Explanation
- 102 is the
lookup_value
(the ID you're searching for). - A2
table_array
(the range that contains your data). - 2 is the
col_index_num
(you want to return the value from the second column, which is the Name). - FALSE specifies that you want an exact match.
Result
This formula will return Bob, as he is the employee with ID 102.
Notes
- If the
lookup_value
is not found, VLOOKUP will return an#N/A
error. - VLOOKUP can only search from left to right (the lookup value must be in the first column of the table array).
- For more advanced lookup needs, consider using
INDEX
andMATCH
orXLOOKUP
in newer versions of Excel.

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